Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Congress plans to vote next week on restructuring the state electricity company to stem annual losses exceeding 16 billion lempiras (about $640 million), but passage depends on the Liberal Party's backing and its proposed reverse-auction mechanism for energy procurement.

The national power company will cut electricity across neighborhoods in three departments on August 15 for transmission-line maintenance and private company work, with outages lasting seven to eight hours depending on location.

State power utility ENEE accumulated a L11.2 billion (about $450 million) deficit in the first seven months of 2026, with energy theft and illegal connections accounting for roughly 75% of losses, according to a civil-society analysis presented to energy regulators and Congress.

Anabel Gallardo, president of Honduras's business council (Cohep), warned that chronic electricity shortages and lack of legal certainty continue to discourage foreign investment and job creation in the country.

President Nasry Asfura called on Congress to approve energy-sector reforms aimed at reducing financial losses at the state-run electricity utility ENEE.

ASJ, a civil-society organization, urges Congress to focus energy-sector reform solely on overhauling the state power utility ENEE to improve efficiency, reduce blackouts, and lower costs for poor households.

Congressman Yuri Sabas criticized the government's energy-reform bill for lacking substantive changes, warning that ENEE could become as hollowed-out as the failed state telecom Hondutel despite holding valuable assets like major dams.

The national power utility ENEE has scheduled maintenance and vegetation-clearing work resulting in power cuts in Valle, Olancho, El Paraíso, Comayagua, Cortés, Yoro, Copán, Atlántida, and Colón on August 13, with outages lasting from roughly 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in affected zones.

The Liberal Party caucus presented a counterproposal to the government's energy-reform law, saying it includes legal safeguards and structural guarantees to benefit Hondurans while preventing what lawmakers call privatization risks to state utility ENEE.

Liberal and National Party lawmakers said they are close to agreement on energy reforms to modernize the electric system and rescue the troubled state utility ENEE, with key protections for public assets including hydroelectric dams.

Honduras's state electricity company is launching three public tenders to hire over 400 work crews to combat energy theft, install meters, manage disconnections, and maintain the power grid, following the end of a three-year loss-reduction program that failed to meet its goals.

The national power utility ENEE will cut electricity on August 9 for scheduled maintenance on substations, distribution lines, and power transformers across neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa and Cortés, with outages running from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. depending on location.

Honduras is considering opening its electricity market to multiple operators in generation, distribution, transmission, and sales—similar to Costa Rica's hybrid system—to boost investment, diversify energy sources, and increase regional competition.

State institutions have accumulated over 20 billion lempiras (roughly $800 million) in unpaid electricity bills to ENEE, with much of the debt dating back more than 15 years; the utility is auditing its accounts receivable and also grappling with 34% energy losses due partly to theft.

The national electricity utility ENEE announced scheduled power cuts on August 6 across Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Olancho, and Valle for routine circuit maintenance, with outages lasting four to six hours in affected neighborhoods.

Lawmakers are moving closer to agreement on reforms to Honduras's General Law of the Electrical Industry, with the Liberal Party and the legislative committee narrowing differences over how to attract private investment while keeping state assets under the control of the state-owned utility ENEE.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano declared that privatization of the national electricity company ENEE is entirely off the table, saying proposed reforms to energy law aim instead to stabilize the utility's finances and resolve the country's power crisis.

Lawmakers are negotiating a bill to rescue the troubled state electrical utility ENEE and modernize its aging infrastructure, with Congress leadership saying a formal vote could come this week or next.

The national utility ENEE will cut power on August 4 across neighborhoods in Yoro, Cortés, Santa Bárbara, Copán, and Ocotepeque for scheduled maintenance work on electrical circuits, with outages lasting four to six hours depending on the zone.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano called on the Liberal Party to submit its observations on a proposed reform to Honduras's electricity law, framing the modernization of the troubled state utility ENEE as urgent for all Hondurans, not just the governing party.

The Liberal Party congressional bloc will present next week an alternative proposal to reform Honduras's electric-industry law, conditioning their support on incorporating their technical observations drawn from successful regional models in Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Congressman Rumy Bueso said the Liberal caucus rejects the government's energy reforms, arguing they weaken state utility ENEE, and will introduce a counterproposal to strengthen the public company without privatization.

Finance Secretary Emilio Hércules announced the government will provide $120 million to strengthen ENEE's operational capacity and infrastructure, while the utility launches a bond program with a 16 billion lempira ceiling to pay accumulated supplier debts through weekly disbursements.

ENEE announced planned maintenance cutoffs for July 30 affecting Copán, Francisco Morazán, Valle, and Olancho, with specific neighborhoods in the capital and municipalities in each region experiencing interruptions of 5–7 hours starting in the morning.

The state power utility reports daily losses of L40 million (about $1.6 million) while Congress delays approval of an energy law overhaul that officials say is needed to improve efficiency, attract investment, and reduce the company's mounting debt.

The National Congress heard from the ENEE director and energy regulator on annual contract renewals for 30, 50, and 80 megawatts of electricity, with lawmakers divided over whether the state utility has adequate funds to pay for the supply amid broader financial strain.

Honduras's electric regulator (CREE) published a comparative analysis of the electric-sector reform bill showing how negotiations between the President, Congress, and the Liberal Party shifted the final version approved on August 12, with added restrictions on state utility ENEE.

Lawmakers remain divided on proposed reforms to Honduras's state electric utility, with some demanding modifications or deletions to specific articles and disagreement over whether modernization requires privatization.

Honduras's Liberal Party announced it will not support the government's electric-sector reform as written, instead proposing its own bill to preserve ENEE's public status, prevent privatization, and include workforce protections, fair tariffs, and financial audits.

At least 10 members of the Liberal Party in Congress oppose proposed counterreforms to the state power utility ENEE, signaling internal party division on energy policy.